The Benefits of Aromatherapy
Presentation by:
Susan Kristiniak DHA, MSN, RN,
AHN-BC, BC, IAC
Today’s presentation
• Describe Complementary therapies and
use in the United States
• Describe the integration of aromatherapy,
guided imagery and Reiki into nursing
care at Abington Memorial Hospital
• Discuss aromatherapy and use of essential
oils by nurses in acute care and home care
settings.
• Identification of self care and the creation
of the Healing Room
Complementary and
Alternative Therapies
• Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a
group of diverse medical and health systems, practices
and products that are not considered to be part of
conventional medicine.
• NCCAM (2008) reports 36% of the population uses
complementary therapies adding prayer and vitamin
use-62%.
• Target population: stress and pain management
• More likely to be used by women than men; people with
higher education; people who have been hospitalized in
the past year and former smokers as compared to those
who smoke or who have never smoked (NCCAM).
Integrative Therapy Categories
• Natural Products
This area of CAM includes use of a variety of herbal
medicines (also known as botanicals), vitamins, minerals,
and other “natural products.” Many are sold over the counter
as dietary supplements. Large amount of consumables in
probiotics, and supplements
• Mind and Body Medicine
Mind and body practices focus on the interactions among the
brain, mind, body, and behavior, with the intent to use the
mind to affect physical functioning and promote health.
Integrative Therapy Categories
• Manipulative and Body-Based Practices
Manipulative and body-based practices focus primarily on
the structures and systems of the body, including the bones
and joints, soft tissues, and circulatory and lymphatic
systems
• Energy Medicine
A therapy in which practitioners seek to transmit a universal
energy to a person, either from a distance or by placing their
hands on or near that person. The intent is to heal the spirit
and thus the body., and healing touch are examples of such
practices.
• Whole Medicine Systems
Complete systems of theory and practice that have evolved
over time in different cultures and apart from conventional
or Western Examples of ancient whole medical systems
include Ayurvedic medicine and traditional Chinese
medicine.
Integration into Abington Health
• Department of Integrative Medicine
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Aromatherapy
Reiki
Acupuncture
Mindfulness
Guided Imagery
• Community Education
– Heart Health
– Stress Management
Integrative Council
• Survey of nurses for interest in integrative
care
• Development of an Integrative Nursing
Council in shared governance model
– Goals
• Educate nurses
• Provide complementary experiences for nurses
• Create a healing room
• Pilot education program: Integrative
Nursing Workshop
Expanding Scope of
Nursing Care
• Pilot (n=22) nurses
• Weekend program
• Reiki,Guided imagery and Aromatherapy
competency based education program
• Monitored nurses’ lived experiences of
patient care with integrative therapies
Aromatherapy
• Aromatherapy: “The therapeutic use of pure,
unadulterated essential oils, hydrosols and other
fragrant plant materials for holistic health
treatment.” Gattefosse
Plants
• Scent acts as attraction and defense
• Chemical factories
– Draw energy from light and darkness; sun and earth
• Synthesize energy into molecules of
carbohydrates, proteins and fats
• Become crude fuels that humans and animals
breakdown into adenosine triphosphate which is
human energy source
Essential Oils
• Essential oils are the by-product of water
or steam distillation that produces
– Volatile, non-oily liquid = essential oils
– Botanically named
– One pound of any given plant creates one
drop of essential oil.
– Over 350 oils marketed
– Vary in price
– Quality=therapeutic value
Chemical: From Gattefosse to
Gas Chromatography
• Terpenes: antiviral: lemon, ginger
• Sesquiterpenes: anti-inflammatory:
pine, cypress
• Alcohols: energizing: peppermint,
neroli
• Ketones: mucolytic:
eucalyptus,camphor
• Aldehydes: sedative: melissa oil
• Esters: soothing, balancing: geranium,
ylang-ylang
• Phenols: antibacterial: oregano, clove
How aromatherapy works…
• 500,000 scents on the earth
– Average breaths per year: 6.3 million
• The only sense with direct brain
connection
– Response to smell: 0.5 sec.; to pain: 0.9 sec
– Sense of smell is 10,000 greater than taste and
has more neurons that eyes.
Smell brain connection
Emotional Response
• Proximity of olfactory bulb to limbic system: the
seat of emotion
– Use essential oils to recreate experiences
• Elderly: seasonal and cooking scents
• End of Life: familiar and comforting
• Trauma: desensitizing
• House sales: baking bread
“Smell is a potent wizard that transports us thousands of
miles and all the years we have lived.”
Helen Keller
Using essential oils
• Quality: critical to therapeutic value
– Identify quality oils/distributors
• Notes: blending variables
– Top: bright
– Middle: lingering
– Base: grounding
• Carrier: diluents for application
• Neat: direct, undiluted application
– TEA TREE AND LAVENDER ONLY
• Distillation/hydrosols: the process of oil extraction
– Steam and Water.
– Hydrosol: scented water remaining after extraction. Not as
powerful
• Costs: vary with supply/demand.
Application: Inhalation
• Sprays/spritzers
• Diffusers
– Passive solar
– Electric
• Cotton ball/handkerchiefs
• Car diffuser
Diffuse
• Passive, solar, electric
Massage and compresses
• Dermal absorption
• Key areas: palms,
Soles of feet,
forehead,
underarms,
wrists.
Soaks and Steams
• Steams allow for a comfort
inhalation that can improve
respiratory pathways
• Soaks are the direct
application of essential
oil without massage
Lavender
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Lavendula officinalis, lavendula angustofolia
Middle note
Low odor intensity
Floral scent
Do not use: first trimester,
extremely low BP
• All inflammations, hypertension
pain from strains, arthritis, anxiety
Aromatherapy and Research
• Lavender:
– Calming, reduces stress through a higher
alpha brainwave activity, reduces spasms,
stimulates the amygdala producing effects
similar to diazepam and results in pain relief,
alleviates depression (Liu, 2003; Tisserand,
1988; Buckle, 2003; Moss, 2003)
• Kristiniak & Soniak (2007) Effects of
lavender aromatherapy on the dementia
patient with agitation in the acute psychiatric
setting
Peppermint
• Mentha Piperita
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Top note
Strong and sharp
High odor intensity
Do not use during
pregnancy or lactation
Vasoconstriction, antispasmodic, digestive
Blending
• Blend: combining different oils to achieve
a therapeutic effect
• Carrier oils
• Dilution percentages:
– depend on treatment
– application type
• Synergies: the end product of mixing oils
and carriers
Blending
• Lavender and Peppermint
– Dilution
• 1%=6 drops/ounce
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Palm blends
Spritzers
Baths
Cotton Ball/ 2X2
Safety Rules
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Never consume: dangerous due to potency
Always dilute: less is best
Keep out of reach of children
Use tried and true oils: Avoid mugwort
Know cautions and contraindications
– Photosensitivity, minimal use, dangerous,
carcinogenic
Use protective gear when handling oils
Ventilation
Special precautions with children, elderly and pets
Use common sense: overuse
Recognize botanical names: genus and species.
Contraindications: insomnia avoid peppermint,
rosemary, basil
Important Points
• Quality of oil = therapeutic value
• Less is best
• Never consume
• Only lavender and tea tree can be applied
‘neat’
• Keep out of reach of children
Use of aromatherapy for nurses
• Competency based training
• Use of lavender and peppermint with
nursing policies/procedures that define
standard of care.
• Teach hand massage
• Supply essential oils
Expansion of the program
• The word got out….
• Over 200 nurses are trained
• Added nurses in the hospice unit
• Home Care nurses
– * some adaptions
The demand for self care
• Council success and increased
participation
• The requests and discussions in the
Integrative Workshop classes
• The stories reported began including staff
caring for staff.
The Healing Room
Healing Room
• Opened September 28, 2010
• Within an hour, the room was used
• To date, 250 staff have received treatments
– Self-care
– Provider
• Research survey
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Stress level pre and post healing experience
Demographics
How you got there…
Would you come back…
Treatments received and comments
© AMH
Any Questions
• Contact information
• skristiniak@amh.org
References
• National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
(2011). What is CAM? Retrieved from www.nccam.nih.org
• Kristiniak, S. (2011) Exploring the experiences of complementary
nurses: A qualitative phenomenological study. Research Methodology.
Lentz: Las Vegas, NV
• Watson, J. (2005). Caring science as sacred science. Philadelphia, PA: F.
A. Davis.